Old dog, new tricks

[hedgehog]

We recently were very lucky to be able to adopt a very old dog because her owner couldn't take care of her any more. The poor old girl has some sort of problem with her rear legs - occasionally they slide right out from under her when she tries to get up. She goes in and out of our dog pen if we open the people door. She is fascinated watching our other two dogs hop through the dog door. I don't think she has the strength in her hind quarters to hop through the door, but she will stand outside sticking her head in, or inside sticking her head out. I can almost see her trying to figure out the magic trick. We'll be getting a larger, lower door soon.

[magical thyme]

1. sounds like it could be hip dysplasia. My 9-year old lab-x is having a harder and harder time

getting up and yes, sometimes his hind legs slide out from under him. His dysplasia was discovered when he was 3.

This winter, I moved my mattress off the bed and onto the family room floor in part to save on heating costs, but also in large part because he started for the first time having a hard time getting down from the bed. Twice I didn't get to him fast enough to help and his hind end collapsed out from under him . I will be either building or buying him a ramp this summer when we move back to the sun room. Also will be getting a walking "hammock" for helping him in the future, as his hips will continue to decline in future years.

[hedgehog]

2. We'll be taking her to the vet pretty soon. We're guessing she's a mix of

Golden Retriever, German Shepherd and Collie, so hip dysplasia is certainly a possibility. I'm leaning toward general weakness from age and/or some possible problem with nerves - sometimes she does better, sometimes one leg shows a tremor. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be in any pain.

I do use a towel under her belly to lift her into the tub for a bath when needed.